The inks and/or ink colors required for all print jobs are not the same. For example, many print jobs can benefit from the addition of one or more ‘specialty ink colors,’ (e.g. spot colors) which improves the print job's appearance, but which may have little utility in other, print jobs. Thus, there is a value in configuring a printer and/or printing press to utilize specialty colors for some printing jobs. This value can be realized by removing an unneeded color and installing the needed color. Unfortunately, there is also a cost associated with making this reconfiguration.
Part of the cost of configuring a printer or printing press to use one or more specialty colors includes costs associated with temporary suspension of printing operations to allow for reconfiguration of a color station with a new ink color. While the printer or press is stopped, ink supply structures associated with one or more of the currently installed ink colors are removed. A cleaning apparatus is attached to the printer or press, and developing units and tubes are cleaned. A new ink color supply is installed, and building and calibration processes are performed on the newly installed ink color.
An additional cost typically results when the specialty color is removed, and replaced with a further specialty color or a standard color. Once again, the printing press must be stopped, and cleaning and color building operations performed. Thus, time during which the printing press is non-operational contributes to the costs of operation.